Christof Lehmann (nsnbc).- Violent protests and crackdowns in Egypt continue in spite of Mursi´s accept of the Administrative Court´s ruling to suspend the elections and in spite of amendments to Egypt´s law on the registration of political parties. Protesters call the amendment a diversion from core issues and another item in the Islamo-Fascist bag of tricks.

Even though President Mohamed Mursi and the ruling, Muslim Brotherhood based party have insisted on holding elections as scheduled, Mursi has accepted the Administrative Court´s ruling to suspend the elections because of the sustained constitutional crisis and mass protests. Egypt´s judiciary, Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood have been at loggerheads for months, after the new President attempted to centralize power in the presidency by slashing the democratic functions of the judiciary. (1

Mursi has also given in to part of the central demands of the opposition and the protesters by amending main features of the Law on Political Parties of 2011, by which Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood endowed religious parties or themselves with special privileges, while slashing the rights of secular parties or Non-Muslim parties and organizations.

The change in the Law on Political Parties of 2011 was proclaimed in Decree No 12 by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. (2 Protesters and the majority of the opposition however, are both suspicious about the amendment and are calling it too little, too late, and a diversion from the central demand for constitutional change.

The amendment has made it part of Egyptian law, that a political party´s principles, platforms, methods of operation and choice of leaderships and members may neither be based on religion, class, sect, profession or geography, nor be established on account of gender, language, religion or creed.

However, rather than pacifying the protesters and opposition, the decree has backfired on Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood, and is by many perceived as if Mursi has thrown an old shoe at them rather than addressing the oppositions central demands.

First of all it is perceived as a slap in the face with an old shoe, because the amendment published in decree 12 also states, that a party´s principles, goals, platforms, policies and/or methods of operation should not contradict the basic principles of the constitution, and it is the constitution, that endows the Muslim Brotherhood with the sweeping powers and privileges which the opposition demands to discuss and amend prior to any election.

The opposition was enraged, when Amr Darrag, a member of the executive bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood´s Freedom and Justice Party described the oppositions persistence on constitutional amendments as a “waste of time” and that “suspending the national dialog over the constitution was unrealistic”. (3 Changing the law for the registration and approval of new political parties is an improvement, but it is not an improvement that addresses any of the oppositions concerns regarding the constitution which oppresses the secular on non-Islamist opposition parties.

Mursi´s maneuver also enrages, rather than satisfies the opposition and the protesters, because rather than addressing the core issues and demands, the change of the law, that regulates the registration and approval of new parties is perceived as yet another item in Mursi´s, the Freedom and Justice Party´s and the Muslim Brother´s bag of tricks; A distraction, to make the gullible believe, that the Islamo-Fascist Muslim Brotherhood had any intention to make the party law´s provisions for gender equality and secularism part of Egypt´s constitutional framework.

Finally, what further enrages many of the protesters and the opposition is, that the Muslim Brotherhoods Freedom and Justice Party could not be approved if it had to follow the law it just has “decreed upon the people of Egypt”.

It´s established on account of religion and creed; it is not established on account of, but is making it a central point of its political program to oppress women; and there are a cohort of other double-standards that are to be found when comparing the law with the law-maker.

On 6 March, President Mursi reviewed the security situation in Port Said, Dakahleya,Cairo and Cairo´s suburbs and upland. On the Egyptian Governments official website, it is proclaimed, that President Mursi has met with the Minister of the Interior and the heads of the security bodies at the Presidential Palace. The official report states, that the President was assured about the readiness and the capacity of the police to maintain the security of the citizens and the facilities of the state, continuing, that President Mursi also underlined ” the necessity to protect peaceful demonstrators and to arrest troublemakers”.

With police and security are continuing their violent crackdowns on protesters and the opposition, whom does Mursi want to protect ? Card-carrying members of the Muslim Brotherhood and his Freedom and Justice Party who use government funds to buy freedom and justice balloons and Mursi T-Shirts ? It is wrong to say that nothing in Egypt have changed since Mubarak. As unbelievable as it may have sounded a little more than two years ago, but things definitely got worse in ´Mursimanialand´.

About the Author

Christof Lehmann - Dr. Christof Lehmann is the founder and editor of nsnbc. He is a psychologist and former independent political consultant on conflict, conflict resolution and a wide range of other political issues.
In March 2013 he established nsnbc as a daily, independent, international on-line newspaper. He can be contacted at nsnbc international at nsnbc.wordpress@gmail.com